A Ship Without A Sail: The Life of Lorenz Hart

by Gary Marmorstein

An unforgettable portrait of an exuberant yet troubled artist who so enriched the American songbook “Blue Moon, ” “Where or When, ” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” “My Funny Valentine,” “Isn’t It Romantic?,” “My Romance,” “There’s a Small Hotel,” “Falling in Love with Love,” “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”—lyricist Lorenz Hart, together with composer Richard Rodgers, wrote some of the most memorable songs ever created. More than half a century after their collaboration ended, Rodgers & Hart songs are indispensable to the repertoire of nightclub singers everywhere. A Ship Without a Sail is the story of the complicated man who was Lorenz Hart. His lyrics spin with brilliance and sophistication, yet at their core is an unmistakable wistfulness. The sweetness of “My Romance” and “Isn’t It Romantic?” is unsurpassed in American song, but Hart’s lyrics could also be cynical, funny, ironic. He brought a unique wit and elegance to popular music. Larry Hart and Richard Rodgers wrote approximately thirty Broadway musicals and dozens of songs for Hollywood films. At least four of their musicals—On Your Toes, Babes in Arms, The Boys from Syracuse, and Pal Joey— have become classics. But despite their prodigious collaboration, Rodgers and Hart were an odd couple. Rodgers was precise, punctual, heterosexual, handsome, and eager to be accepted by Society. Hart was barely five feet tall, alcoholic, homosexual, and more comfortable in a bar or restaurant than anywhere else. Terrified of solitude, he invariably threw the party and picked up the check. His lyrics are all the more remarkable considering that he never sustained a romantic relationship, living his entire life with his mother, who died only months before he died at age forty-eight. Gary Marmorstein’s revelatory biography includes many of the lyrics that define Hart’s legacy—those clever, touching stanzas that still move us or make us laugh.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Music, History, Music Biography

545 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 3, 2012

Reviews

[WB1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stephen Sondheim, in "Finishing the Hat," said he was not a fan of Lorenz Hart because Hart's lyrics, like Ira Gershwin's, "never got to the level of sounding like the way people talk." Sondheim says Hart was enamoured wirh rhymes. The problem with this criticism is that Hart (in contrast to Sondheim) wrote lyrics that expressed his pain, loneliness, despair. And the songs, written with Richard Rodgers, were often haunting. And they endure forever. (How many Sobndheim songs will endure?). Hart wrote more than 800 songs, including "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," "Manhattan," "My Funny Valentine," "Where or When," "A Ship Without A Sail," "My Heart Stood Still," "The Lady Is A Tramp," "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," etc. His life was tragic. He died of alcoholism. He was short and saw himself as ugly. He more or less hid the fact that he was gay, although everyone seemed to know.
Gary Marorstein has made a valiant effort to assess Hart. It's a thoroughly sympathetic portrait. (He's not particularly sympathetic to Rodgers, who is depicted as chilly, a bit of a social climber and not especially pleasant). The book is highly-detailed and sometimes sluggish. The two wrote many unemorable shows with memorable songs. The main problem is that Hart remains elusive ---he's depicated as a generous, decent and sensitive man but also a puzzle. His demons are spelled out but never really explained. The book is a good work of reportage. You want the author to delve a little deeper. Perhaps that's impossible. What's left is a decent study of a genius.

[Martin Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is probably too arcane for most readers. But if you are interested in the history and development of musical theatre, it is a real treat. It is interesting to note how many of our creative geniuses were privately sad, tormented souls...Lorenz Hart is a prime example.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is chock full of the history of Broadway and movie musicals. I never really felt it got to the heart ( excuse the pun!) of Lorenz Hart, a brilliant but deeply unhappy, self loathing alcoholic. I chose this book because I have always felt Rogers and Hart's songs were a perfect marriage of Roger's romantic,lyrical music and Hart's wry, often wistful lyrics. They seemed to balance each other fperfectly, although it is well known that Hart's alcoholism, his undisciplined work habits drove Rogers crazy. This book did not shed much light on the psychology behind Hart', a gay man in an era when this was a poorly kept secret. In the end, I learned a lot about the writing of their many shows, the famous stars and friends that filled his life, but not enough about Larry Hart.

[Steven · Rating 1 out of 5]

If this ship had had a sail, there wouldn't have been any wind in it.

I really, really tried with this book. But after 180 pages of tedious name dropping and needless side-references, I had to give up. My mother-in-law had picked this up a few weeks ago from my coffee table before I started reading it, and told me the same thing. I should have listened to her.

Is it really that interesting that Lorenz Hart's father, Max Hart, died around the same time as the Max Hart of the Hart Schaffner & Marx clothing company? The answer -- no, no it is not.

Clearly, the author knows his topic. But he doesn't do a very good job of selling it.

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

My father gave me a love of the songs from the musicals of the twenties, thirties and forties. I knew the outlines of the story of Rogers and Hart, but this book is a wonderful evocation of the times and gives as much detail as we can expect from the life of a homosexual in the closet in those times. It is more than a biography; it is as much an appreciation of his art and his accomplishment and how he advanced the craft of songwriting and of the musical. I know I will listen to his work with a deeper understanding.

[Keith]

Excellent biography. Very readable and enjoyable. Great read about a very talented man -- always good to learn more about some of the great songwriters, whether they composed the music or wrote the lyrics...and Hart a very interesting character, too!

[Caleb Hoyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lorenz Hart is an endearing and downright tragic figure. His story is fascinating, but I was slightly disappointed that this biography didn’t reveal much about him personally. I don’t entirely blame the author; it’s not as if he shied away from any of the unpleasant facets of Hart’s life (his alcoholism, his closeted homosexuality, his unstoppable spending). Rather it feels like there simply isn’t much information to be found. Most of the personal information, including any possible motivations for those tragic facets of Hart’s behavior, come from other people’s writings, particularly Richard Rodgers’. The author does paint a clear enough picture to make it obvious that Hart was not a meticulous record-keeper of his own life, so any clues as to what really made him tick are sadly left buried. The book reads more like a “and then they wrote” biography. That is nothing to sneeze at, though, and the biography did make me reconsider Hart’s work. I always found him lacking in the craft department, too easily tempted by the desperate rhyme (not as grave an offender as Gershwin, but still often trying too hard). I think that remains true, but the virtues of his work became clearer. I think I would say that Hart is the most human of the writers of the American songbook. Even the work of someone like Cole Porter, whose craft is impeccable, still usually feels so polished that the lyric seems “presented” rather than communicated straight out of someone’s heart or head. A line as simple as “Everybody has someone/Why can’t I?” is SO human, so unguarded and honest, and it strikes me now that this is a virtue that runs through all of his work. My respect for Hart, and my sadness at what must have been the pain and emptiness of his life, is much higher after reading this biography.

[JoshD · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was motivated to read this biography by the movie, Blue Moon, an execrable and offensive piece of work that blithely imposes an entirely false straight narrative on the life of lyricist Lorenz Hart. So, I went looking for some truth and insight. Sadly, Gary Marmorstein's A Ship Without a Sail doesn't have a great deal ot offer. If you're a Broadway musical aficionado who will appreciate knowing which songs were written when, how shows evolved or didn't, and where Dick and Larry liked to lunch, then you might find Marmorstein's account satisfying. If you're looking for a more detailed portrait of Hart, then this bio comes up short. Sure, there's the problem that the real Larry Hart was the one who disappeared for days on end, kept his romances and sexual adventures strictly secret, and seemingly shared his personal hopes and fears with no-one. That said, Marmorstein often seems to display remarkably little curiosity and compassion for this subject, while sympathising far more easily with poor Dick Rodgers, so often kept waiting by his troubled writing partner, and occasionally having to deal with his alcoholic excesses. There's also, I can't help noting, remarkably little judgement for the way Rodgers installed a devious accountant to control Larry's finances and, eventually, seize his royalties and cut the Hart relatives off. Yeah, that's right. This biographer isn't even really on the same side as his subject. Which left me feeling more kindly toward Larry, and increasingly less interested in anything Marmorstein has to say.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must investigate all the recordings.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I learned a lot about pre-WWII Broadway musicals and what a huge role Rodgers and Hart played in transforming them, I don't think Marmorstein is able connect his dots. It's not, in my opinion, that Larry Hart created more intellectually sophisticated entertainment, but rather wrote lyrics that sang out to authentic human emotions. I am also curious why Marmorstein chose to start his book with the reading of Harts will when he never had a hard revelation about dishonesty or trickery on the part of Hart's closest associates. In some ways, this biography reminds me of Chabon's Kavalier and Clay in that New York before WWII appears to have been a much more magical city to live in.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful read. The ONLY good bio written on L. Hart. Moves along really well. Author has a wonderful writing style. Good insight to NYC and what the theater music industry was in the 30's & 40's.

[Dr.Ray Winter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am going to compile a Pandora station titled
_A Ship without a Sail_
Using the
Discography provided ~any suggestions ?

[Martin Smith]

July 2012

[Michael]

Interesting story of Lorenz Hart's life in music. The book was thorough but almost too detailed as far as the music business and missing a clear understanding of Hart's underlying psychological problems. I